Cynthia Johnston Torres (27 July 1911 – 6 March 2001) was a

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...

anian businesswoman, politician and educator. She served as a member of the

Legislature of Guam The Legislature of Guam ( ch, Liheslaturan Guåhan) is the law-making body for the United States territory of Guam. The unicameral legislative branch consists of fifteen senators, each serving for a two-year term. All members of the legislature a ...

from 1954 to 1956.

Biography

Torres was born in Hagåtña in July 1911, the daughter of Agueda Iglesias and William Johnston, both well-known teachers.Recognition of Women's History Month, and a tribute to Senator Cynthia Johnston Torres
Congressional RecordCynthia Johnston Torres
Guampedia She began attending a private school in

Coronado Coronado may refer to: People * Coronado (surname) * Francisco Vázquez de Coronado (1510–1554), Spanish explorer often referred to simply as "Coronado" * Coronado Chávez (1807–1881), President of Honduras from 1845 to 1847 Places United ...

in the United States in 1925. After leaving school, she married businessman Joseph Torres in 1932, with whom she had a daughter Elaine. When Joseph died in 1946, she took over his soft drink and beer company, which she diversified into other areas ranging from ice cream to ceramics. In the 1954 elections for the Guamanian Legislature she ran on an independent ticket alongside

Lagrimas Untalan Lagrimas Leon Guerrero Untalan (1911–1997) was a Guamanian educator and politician. She served as a member of the Legislature of Guam between 1954 and 1956. Biography Untalan was born Lagrimas Pereira Leon Guerrero in Hagåtña in 1911, the y ...

and Carlos Taitano. Their campaign meetings saw female attendees pelted with eggs and accused of prostitution. However, all three were elected, with Untalan finishing seventh and Torres fifteenth.Election Comparative Analysis Report
Guam Election Commission After being elected, she became a member of the Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources. Torres moved to California in 1958 after selling her businesses. She enrolled at

San Diego State University San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California. Founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system ...

and gained a bachelor's degree in education from the

University of California, San Diego The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego or colloquially, UCSD) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in San Diego, California. Established in 1960 near the pre-existing Scripps Insti ...

. She subsequently earned a master's degree in special education, before returning to Guam in 1962. She joined the local school for the disabled as a consultant, later becoming its headteacher. She subsequently helped establish the New Brodie Memorial School for Handicapped Children and became a member of the Board of Trustees of

Guam Memorial Hospital Guam Memorial Hospital is located in Tamuning, Guam and is the public civilian hospital serving the island of Guam. The hospital has 158 licensed acute care beds, plus 40 beds at its off-site, long-term care Skilled Nursing Facility. The hospital ...

. She died on 6 March 2001.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Torres, Cynthia Guamanian businesspeople Guamanian women in politics Guamanian educators Members of the Legislature of Guam San Diego State University alumni University of California, San Diego alumni 1911 births 2001 deaths People from Hagåtña, Guam 20th-century American legislators 20th-century American women politicians